Accelerator presents an evening of music, readings and discussions in order to highlight the struggle for women’s rights in Iran. Participants include: Athena Farrokhzad, poet; Arazo Arif, author; Rostam Mirlashari,musician; Negar Naseh, author; Babak Parham, reporter at Sveriges Radio; Ala Riani, actor; Hiwa Khatib, percussionist; Pooneh Rohi, author; and Mahmoud Keshavarz, Senior Lecturer at HDK-Valand Academy, Gothenburg.

On 13 September, 22-year-old Zhina Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran’s morality police accused of not wearing the hijab in accordance with government rules. She died on 16 September while in police custody. The event sparked a wave of protests. Despite heavy crackdowns, the brave protesters continue to take to the streets. This is not the first time there have been demonstrations against the Irainian regime but this time there is a difference, the protests are initiated and led by girls and young women who are demanding democracy and freedom. To put the spotlight on social injustice and brutal state violence, the demonstrators are employing a powerful aesthetic idiom. Visual art, graffiti, music and performance are some of the creative tools used daily by the Iranian protesters to bring about change in Iran and broadcast their message to the world.

Date: 7 December 2022

Time: 18:00–20:00
Free entry. No pre-booking required.

Participants

Athena Farrokhzad, poet, whose first collection of poetry, Vitsvit, was published in 2013. Her books have been translated into 15 languages and her plays have been widely performed. Following Trado (2016) and I rörelse (2019), her fourth book, Åsnans år, was published earlier this autumn.

Negar Naseh, author and physician. Made her debut with the 2013 novel Under all denna vinter. Her second novel, De fördrivna, was published in 2017, and her most recent, En handfull vind, was published this year.

Babak Parham, reporter at Sveriges Radio, active in Iranian underground music, student at the Master’s Programme in Film and Media, with specialisation in Documentary Directing.

Pooneh Rohi, researcher in linguistics at Stockholm University. Following her first novel, the critically acclaimed Araben, she has written the radio short story Segraren, the short story  Kräftfångst and the novel Hölje.

Mahmoud Keshavarz, Senior Lecturer in Design Studies at HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design, Gothenburg.

Moderator

Shahram Khosravi, Professor of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University.

Additional participants may be announced.